HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: Hallam and Stars upset Robbinsville

By RICH FISHER, For The Trentonian

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

EWING — You could call the it the changing of the guard, the passing of the torch or whatever weary cliché you want to pull out, but that is quite possibly what transpired in the Mercer County Tournament softball semifinals last night.

Nottingham freshman Kristin Hallam, who has shown every indication she could be the new pitching force in the Colonial Valley Conference, outdueled the reigning queen last night as fifth-seeded Nottingham stunned Lauren Fischer and top-seeded Robbinsville, 2-0, at Armstrong Park.

The Northstars (16-5), winners of 12 straight, meets third-seeded defending champion Allentown at 7 p.m. tonight as they go for their first MCT crown since 1993. It’s Nottingham’s first trip to the finals since 2000, while Robbinsville has missed the title game for the first time since 2010.

“This is amazing,” said senior Val Suto, who was sterling at shortstop all night and scored the winning run. “We’ve never beaten Robbinsville before. They’re one of the best teams around. It’s so exciting. We were a total team out there.”

Thanks to a two-run sixth inning (both unearned) in which the ball never left the infield, Nottingham avenged a 10-1 shellacking to the Ravens (20-2) back in April. The Northstars are the first county team to beat Robbinsville this year, as its only other loss was to Toms River East.

This one was scoreless over the first five innings as Hallam had allowed two hits while Fischer was working on a no-hitter.

But as usual in a tight game, breaks were about to decide it in the top of the sixth. Sophia Langone reached on a one-out error and was erased when Suto hit into a fielder’s choice. Suto promptly stole second and Hallam got the Stars first hit when she barely beat out an infield single. That also gave Hallam her 45th hit, which set a school single-season record.

Alyssa James then dropped a bunt in front of the plate. Both middle infielders converged on second, leaving first base uncovered as Suto raced home. Jess Fremgen followed with a grounder that was thrown away, allowing Hallam to score an insurance run.

Robbinsville put runners on each of the last two innings but could not bring them home.

“I had a lot more confidence in my team behind me today,” Hallam, who is 3-0 in the MCT, said of the difference in outings against the Ravens. “Our momentum was there, we just rolled off of that.”

The Ravens had the game’s first real threat in the bottom of the third before some stellar Nottingham defense thwarted things. Felicia Shumacher led off with a single and Leanna Gearhart reached on an error to put runners at first and second. After Hallam got a strikeout, Becca Freeman lifted a fly ball to center. Brittany Kelly, who moved over from left to replace injured Jamie Terry, made the catch as Shumacher tug up. Kelly uncorked a perfect throw to nail the Raven and end the inning.

Nottingham was playing its second straight game without cleanup hitter Jamie Terry, whose doctor’s visit yesterday revealed a sprained muscle in her left arm. Terry was told she would be out for a week to 10 days, but hopes to return before that.

Nonetheless, the Northstars seem to be overcoming all obstacles since languishing a 4-5 before its winning streak.

“I think it’s confidence in each other,” first-year coach Danielle Wilson said of the Stars resurgence. “And they just seem to explode when one person does something well.”